Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-17
PEPPER IN IT'S NOSE.

The San Antonio Express Is very angry
at THE GAZETTE for insisting that news
papers destroy their own influence when
they condemn legislatures dogmatically
and without reason assigned. Probably tif-
ty Texas newspapers greeted the notice of
the adjournment of ''the Legislature"
with some brief comment like this: "The
Legislature has adjourned and the people
rejoice" This style of criticism sug-
gested to THE GAZETTE q protest, and the
Express, taking en- article all to itself
which was written without thought of that
paper, violently asssils THE GAZETTE in
a style which has become peculiar to the
great morning daily of TamalevilIe. The
Express can not free itself of the ranCOr
it has ever displayed in dealing with the
Lower House of the Twentieth Legisla-
ture and, although not world THE GA
zETTE's article on Newspapers and Leg
islatures" can be tortured into q specific
reference to the Lower House, the EX-
press sapiently declares that "the 'Legis-
lature' means both Senate and House"
True, most true, and when newspapers
dogmaticalIy exclaim, "The Legislature
has adjourned and the people feel safe"
the reflection is on "both Senate and
House." and THE GAZETTE's protest was
against condemning "the Legislature"
without specification of sins of omission
or commission. The GAZETTE was writ
ing for and to newspapers, and not for or
to "the Legislature" or either branch Of
that body, and did not allude to either
branch specifically in a single line or
word. The work of "the Legislature" is
running through the public prints and the
people will Judge ''the Legislature" by
that record, and they will also judge
newspapers that condemn without refer
ence to the record.
The Express, laboring under the de-
fusion that the article it assails was de-
tense of the Lower House instead of
"the LegisIature"-which "means both
Senate and House," thus says of THE
GAZETTE:
The railway legislation, which 1t condemned,
originated in the House; the geological bill,
which 1t wildly favored, was killed in the
House; the House majority would have liked to
transport every free grass man to Arkansas
the House majority was consistently down on the
west, from which The paper draws It's susie
nance the House majority passed the bill Civ
ing Travis county concurrent jurisdiction IN
criminal land Cases, which THE GAZETTE has
wept over. Yet does The GAZETTE love the
House.
THE GAZETTE has no more love for the
House than it has for the Senate, and has
no hate for either. THE GAZETTE
does not expect the people OF
Texas to elect representatives to
do the will Of this paper,
but if THE GAZETTE did assume to itself
such importance as to be Influenced by the
/ considerations suggested in the above ex.
tract from the Express, this paper in al
! fairness would be compelled to call it 9
"stand off, with the House, for it was in
the House that "free grass" made the fight
most stubbornly against the Senate land
bill; it was the House that originated the
bill to extend for ten years the payment
of the principal of the purchase money
for certain public lands, and the bill to
create new counties out. of Tom Green,
and to amend the election laws for count.
ing votes, and to create new counties Out
of Presidio, and to establish a house Of
correction, ETC., etc. And as to the work
done, it will be found that nearly one
half of the laws enacted originated
in the House. THE GAZETTE con,
demned the defeat Of the geolog,
ical bill, the effort to create a railroad
commission and the clause giving Travis
county concurrent jurisdiction in certain
cases, but that done, this paper did not
feel called upon to ignore the work per
formed by "the Legislature" which
"means both Senate and House."
The Express is entitled to its opinion
concerning THE GAzETTE's Austin service,
as this paper had occasion to express its
own concerning that of the Express, but
we are much more Indifferent to the
opinion of the Express than that paper
seems to be to that of THE GAZETTE.
The people who read THE GAZETTE dur
ing the late session will be surprised to
learn now that one man did all the work
for this paper, and the majority of them
will wonder what the Express has to do
with it, when no one else has complained.